New shredding process helps recycle Suncor's worn oil sands tires

FORT MCMURRAY, ALTA-Suncor Energy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to showcase new technology for tire recycling at its oil sands facility. The portable shredding technology is uniquely designed to shred tires worn out through use in oil sands mining, enabling them to be recycled. This will mark the first use in Canada of this technology, which is owned by CuttingEdge Tire Recycling, a limited partnership between Denesoline Environmental Limited Partnership (wholly owned by Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation) and Beaver Environmental Rubber Technologies. Once recycled, the shredded tires can be used by the Alberta Recycling Management Association. Suncor supported the development of this new Aboriginal owned and operated business by providing land, electrical power, diesel fuel and, most importantly, stockpiles of used oil sands truck tires-the largest off-road tires in the world. At the launch event, company officials were joined by Alberta Environment Minister Guy Boutilier and Archie Cyprien, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.